I walked into the book store today, and I almost cried.

I'm usually in and out of book stores at least once a month, but I hadn't been since before Christmas. (Charles gave me seven books for Christmas, and one of them was Under the Dome, so I was stocked up for a while.) Imagine my shock when I went into Barnes and Noble today and found that they have removed a huge section of bookshelves, where the best sellers and general fiction used to be. In their place I found the new 'Nook' section of the store. I'm not exaggerating when I say that the new area for e-readers, complete with three testing tables, is as large as the entire Apple store down the street.

I don't have a problem with the technology, and I'm sure I'll give in eventually, but when I go to the book store, I want to see books. I want to hear pages turning in books. I want to smell the fresh paper-and-binding smell of books. (With just a hint of brewing coffee in the background.) And if I'm going to buy something at the book store, it's going to be a book.

I don't know if there were people who felt a strong emotional connection with compact discs. If there were, did they die a little inside every time a music store closed in the mall, or every month when the CD section at Best Buy shrunk until it all but disappeared, only to be replaced with iTunes gift cards? I love music, and I certainly don't miss carrying a case of CDs around. But this was a sad day for me, because the dramatic changes in the publishing industry just walked up and slapped me in the face. I did die a little inside, and the stroll down this path is only the beginning.

Just think, one day my sons will be telling their children, "When I was little, we had these things called books. We read them every night, and each one held its own story, and we kept them on shelves in our rooms. When the power went out and we couldn't use the television or video games or Internet, we could always entertain ourselves with books."

Music for this week: Looking forward to hearing all of Adele's new album!

I finished reading Under the Dome a few days ago. I usually read a book in two or three days, but it took me about a week to finish this one. At 1000+ pages, I guess that's to be expected. I still haven't given in to an e-reader, so after lugging it around all week, I weighed it. The paperback weighs over three pounds.

First things first, the short, traditional review:

One fine October day, an impenetrable dome falls over Chester's Mill, a small town in Maine. The town's residents (and there are many-- well over 50 named characters) struggle to survive together, while also searching for a way to lift the dome. New in town, former Army man Dale 'Barbie' Barbara butts heads with the town's big politician, used-car salesman Big Jim Rennie. Lots of people die. Honestly, a real summary would take about five pages, so I'll leave it at this. Think Lord of the Flies meets The Truman Show.

Did I like it? Yes. If you like King, especially if you're a fan of the less-gory works, you will like this book. Under the Dome is fast-paced, has believable characters, a satisfying conclusion, and plenty to say about society, politics, religion, the environment, etc., etc., etc.

Now, I've read probably ten books since I last reviewed one here. So why did I choose this one to write about? Because it has been a few days since I finished, and I'm still thinking about it. The weird thing is, I'm not thinking about it in the usual way I think about really poignant books. I was intrigued while I was reading, but once I was done, that was it. I'm glad I read it. But I didn't have an emotional connection. What I'm wondering is, why didn't I?

(Spoiler Alert-- I'm going to mention things that will ruin it for you while I ramble.)

Everything is done right. The descriptions bring vivid mental images. My favorite one-liner visual was something like 'Blood poppies bloomed on the white sheet.' That's not a direct quote, that's just how I remembered it. The characters are real and believable, and the point of view shifts seamlessly, and that is really difficult to do well. My favorite POV was the dog, Horace. It explores the many faces of human cruelty, from the teasing of a smart girl in grade school and catching ants on fire at the playground to torture in war times, power-fueled rape, murder for personal gain, and drug-induced carnage. So why isn't this the Great American Novel?

My husband suggested that it may be impossible for a sci-fi book to be the GAN, because it steps outside a realistic reflection of society. And so I pondered, what if you took that element out? (Big Spoiler Alert)
The dome is put in place by aliens, who laugh at the destruction their toy has caused. What if instead, the dome was placed by a writer? What if the novelist was the one putting the dome over the world he created, and the residents were begging him to let them 'live their little lives'? It would be interesting, but I'm still not sure that would make the difference. Maybe as a society and as individuals, we're just not ready to admit that this degree of violence and degradation is an accurate representation of us. Or maybe our preconceived notions of Mr. King just won't let us see it any other way than through blood-colored glasses.

I hope you are enjoying your new year! Until next time....

Music note of the day: I heard Hiphopopotamus today on the radio. Thanks for the laugh, Flight of the Concords!

We are so very blessed.

On this day of reflection, 1-1-11, this New Year that somehow feels more palpably new than the past few January firsts have felt, I can't help but think of our wealth of blessings.

Of course I have personal goals for the year ahead -- I resolve to finish writing the novel I started last fall. The stretch goal will be finding an agent to represent it, but you can't put the cart before the horse. I plan to eat healthier and exercise more, like everyone else, I assume.

But my most important resolution is to appreciate the blessings. I have a home. I have food to eat. I have a beautiful, healthy family and wonderful friends. I know that these are not givens, and they must not be taken for granted.

My favorite quote from The Book of Eli is when Eli (Denzel W.) says, "People had more than they needed. We had no idea what was precious and what wasn't. We threw away things people kill each other for now." Oh, to recognize what you have when you have it right in front of you.

In this retrospective mood, with the curtain closing on this Christmas season, I wonder what we've lost by allowing commercialism to take over. I give gifts not because I expect anything in return, but because even though it is easier than ever to communicate with the ones we love, I struggle to express my feelings with words. When I give my dad some silly gadget, I'm really trying to say that I love him and appreciate his help and advice and everything that he does for me. I don't see my nieces and nephews very often, but with each shirt or toy or gift card, I'm really saying that I miss you and I'm proud of the person you're becoming. In the long term, wouldn't the words mean more than the things?

I hope, dear reader, that you had a blessed Christmas and a happy New Year, shared with people you love.


A Few of 2010's Favorites:
Favorite New Band Discovery: Local Natives
Favorite Concert: Muse, US Tour opening in Atlanta
Favorite Movie: Inception
Favorite New TV Show: The Walking Dead
Favorite Author I'd Never Read Before this Year: Steig Larsson

I can't believe it's been over a month since I last posted. The weird thing is, I have written blogs. I just haven't posted them. Sometimes I feel like my words don't express the emotion I was trying to convey. But this one's going out there, no matter what!

I've been on a bit of a computer hiatus. Of course I'm checking my email, but I've been trying to avoid extended periods of web-surfing, game-playing, etc. The holidays swallow up plenty of time anyway, so I really haven't felt the loss of it. Well, maybe a little loss. My writing has taken a hit, but I'm determined to get back on track.

After wrapping a few presents tonight, I sat down to catch up with my usual list of sites and blogs. I mostly read writers' blogs; some are personal, others not. When I came to the last one on my list, it struck me in a strange, emotional way. The writer in question does write very personal blogs, and by the time I'd finished her posts from the last month, I wanted to give her a hug. I wanted to say, "I've missed you, old friend."

How weird is that? I don't really know this woman, and she certainly doesn't know me. But I feel like I know her, because I've followed her life and success for years now. Being a writer, she's a different kind of celebrity. She can probably go to the grocery store without having to sign autographs. But what about all the other celebrities? We see these strangers on television, in movies, and in magazines. We read about them and follow their tweets. We feel like we know them, but we don't.

Is this a recent phenomenon? I wonder if random people walked around London in 1601 saying, "I heard Will Shakespeare had a few too many at the tavern last night."

If you're reading this, it's probably because you actually do know me in real life. As much as I like reading about people I admire from afar, I am grateful for all the real, special people who I have in my life. I wish you all a Merry Christmas. Imagine me giving you a hug through the Inter webs and saying, "I've missed you, friend!"

Music for the week: Boots, The Killers (I love that they do an original Christmas song every year!)

Instead of a real, coherent blog this week, I'd like to share a few random thoughts.

1. I resist books when they are overly hyped, but most of the time, I end up jumping on the bandwagon full force. The Stieg Larsson phenomenon is no exception. I just finished The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. (Literally, five minutes ago.) All I can say is wow. If they had to break the last Harry Potter into two movies, how many will this story take? I'm resisting the urge to drive to the nearest bookseller and get the next one tonight.

2. How about those Gators? I'm so glad we finally made it to a Florida-Georgia game, with twelve solid hours of friends and fun.

3. The boys had a wonderful Halloween. Not only do they have all the candy they collected from the neighbors, but we also have five bags of candy left over. Now, to keep my hands out of the candy baskets. Anyone need a sugar fix?

4. I hope everyone voted this week. Voting is more than your right as an American; it's your responsibility. And now that the mid-term elections are over, is there any chance we can stop talking about politics for a while?

5. I'm excited to be a Nielsen family starting tomorrow!

Until next week...

Today's musical highlight: Local Natives, Gorilla Manor

I haven't posted in while, but I'm back! I've had a busy couple of weeks, and I've actually written several blogs that I didn't post because I couldn't get the words just right. I'll give you the short, sweet version of those, then I'll move on to the topic that got me on here rearing to blog!

This month I went to Disney World, turned a year older, partied with Vampire Weekend (in case you were wondering, yes they can and do recreate their signature sound live, and it was awesome!) and have had lots of fun with friends. Those are all the good things; of course, bad things happen, too. I have a tendency to have my feelings hurt too easily, but that's a topic for another day.

I am worried about my writing. I am loving my characters, and they certainly have minds of their own. I am a solid six chapters into this book, but I've had to take too many breaks from writing with all the busyness going on. But worse than falling short of my self-imposed deadlines, I've been worried about plotting.

Yesterday, while searching for the next book I want to read, I came across the blog of Kristen Cashore. If you haven't read Graceling and Fire, you should. Her next book isn't due out any time soon, but I'm so glad that I stumbled upon her site. Why? Because not only does she write amazing, complex characters with beautiful prose, she is a master of plotting and pacing. Reading her blog and website gave me hope, because her process is very similar to mine. She's a "pantser," too! (That's a writer's term that means writing by the seat of your pants, rather than complex plotting before hand.)

Knowing how brilliantly it worked out for Ms. Cashore, now I at least know that it's possible for a plot to work it's way out. Taking some of the anxiety away makes me excited about writing again, and that is exactly what I needed.

Music I'm rocking this week: LCD Soundsystem

This weekend we had company at our house. It's always fun to visit with old friends, especially ones who see the world differently from how you see it. You learn from those kinds of friends. I could go on about how our friend never meets a stranger, or any number of things, but this morning I was reminded of an off-handed comment he made when we were picking up our kids from school. He said, "You guys care way too much about what goes on in the carpool line."

I'm sure he was right. He hasn't yet experienced the joy of school pick up and drop off lines, so he sees these situations differently from me. I was reminded of this when I found myself agitated this morning at son #1's school. You see, we have two lines. The line on the right, and the line on the left. The school added the line on the left to get the traffic off the streets when it backs up. The left line eventually merges into the right again, so all of the people on the left end up getting in front of the people on the right, which is fine. We are all aware of this, and we make our choices.

But this morning, there was no back-up. The right line was moving steadily, with no stopping. We, on the right, were all going the school speed limit, which is 5 mph. There was no need for the line on the left. And yet, in front of my very eyes, three cars sped past everyone on the right, taking the speed bumps at around twenty five or so, just to scoot in and cut some other cars off. Just to kick their child out of the car 5 seconds faster.

And there you have it. I care way too much about what happens in the carpool line. I care too much because life and values and the big picture are reflected there. In the carpool line you have me, and most of the other moms and dads, over on the right, going the speed limit because we don't want to run over a child. And then you have those other people. The ones who just want to get ahead. The ones who don't care who they might run over, or who they cut off.

The good news is that for the most part, I only have to deal with those people in the carpool lane. I'm so grateful for all the good people my family has in our life. I'm grateful for friends we've known for years, who come to visit and bring different points of view, and for friends who support us and love us and have fun with us. I'm fine staying over here in the right lane.